David Cameron dodges questions about Ukip ahead of local elections

The Prime Minister says he will not engage in insulting the UK Independence
Party (Ukip) despite continued sniping from fellow Conservatives ahead of
tomorrow's local elections.

11:15AM BST 01 May 2013

In bitter exchanges over the weekend, Cabinet minister Ken Clarke branded Ukip politicians "clowns," and the Foreign Secretary William Hague has since echoed his sentiments.

Mr Cameron famously dismissed Ukip members in 2006 as "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists, mostly," but when asked to discuss the electoral threat posed by Nigel Farage's party in an interview on ITV's Daybreak, he declined to comment.

"I am not calling anybody anything," he said – seeking to focus attention instead on the battle with Labour.

"With a day to go, I think it is still important to talk about what the choice is at this election.

"And most people sitting at home face a choice either between the Conservatives running their local council or Labour running their local council.

"If Labour get in, as we've heard from Miliband over recent days, they believe in more spending, more borrowing, more of the things that got us into this mess.

"That's the same in the town hall as it is in government so I hope people will stick with the blue team who can deliver good services at low cost and keep your bills down," he added.

When asked whether he could foresee a scenario in which he might sit down for talks with Mr Farage, Mr Cameron replied: "I think the Conservatives should be aiming for an outright win at the next election.

"That is what I will be campaigning for, fighting for, and I think it's possible to do."